Supporting apparatus for sliding doors



Sept. 22, 1959 c. E. BIRKMEYER, SR 2,90 2

SUPPORTING APPARATUS FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed June 15, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 6.1 iii/3705167; in

ATTORNEYB' Sept. 22,1959 c. E. BIRKMEYER, SR

SUPPORTING APPARATUS FOR SLIDING DOORS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1955 h 5 mm mw mwwm BY M W ATTORNEYS P 1959 c. E. BIRKMEYER, SR 2,904,821

SUPPORTING APPARATUS FOR SLIDING DOORS Filed June 15, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR United States Patent SUPPORTING APPARATUS FOR SLIDING DOORS Clement E. Birkmeyer, Sta, Amarillo, Tex., assignor to Big A Manufacturing Company, a corporation of Texas Application June 15, 1955, Serial No. 515,573

4 Claims. (Cl. 16-94) The present invention relates in general to door hardware and more particularly to adjustable track supporting apparatus for supporting a door in suspended relation for sliding movement into and out of closed position relative to a doorway.

Heretofore, a track has usually been employed to sup port doors of the above-described nature, the track being supported in the header of a door frame outlining the doorway, the header having a slot in the lower surface thereof which slidably receives the upper end of the door. If a single door is used, the door usually slides in one direction into a recess in a partition or wall adjacent the doorway into which the track supporting the door also extends. With presently available track supporting apparatus, installation is made before the doorway trim is finally secured to the door frame. In such cases, it is usually impossible to adjust the track relative to the door frame without removing some of the molding or part of the door frame. Frequent adjustment is necessary, however, to correct misalignment of the door relative to the door frame arising from Wear of the parts of warping or shrinkage of wood components.

An object of the present invention is the provision of novel supporting hardware for horizontally slidable doors constructed in such a manner as to facilitate installation thereof and maintenance of the door in plumb with the door jambs.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of a novel track supporting mechanism for horizontally sliding doors wherein the door may be readily removed from the door supporting mechanism without requiring removal of stops, jambs, trim, or any part of the permanent structure.

Another object of the present invention is the provision of novel track supporting mechanism for horizontally slidable doors wherein the track is readily removable for replacement or repair.

Another object of the present invention is the provision in track supporting apparatus for horizontally slidable doors of a track leveling mechanism which is readily accessible for adjustment after installation of the door and supporting mechanism. I

Another object of the present invention is the provision in track supporting apparatus for horizontally slidable doors of a track leveling mechanism which is operable in a novel manner after the door is adjusted in plumb or parallelism with the jamb to compensate for sag of the track caused by the weight of the door suspended thereon.

Other objects, advantages, and capabilities of the present invention will become apparent from the following detail description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, illustrating one preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawings:

door-supporting apparatus embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal section view of the apparatus embodying the present invention, taken along the lines 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section view taken along the lines 3-3 of Figure 2; a

Figure 4 is a vertical transverse section view taken along the lines 44 of Figure 2;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal section view of a portion of the track adjacent one end thereof illustrtating the association of one of the supporting bolts and one of the spacing bolts therewith, taken along the line 55 of Figure 2; and

Figure 6 is a vertical longitudinal fragmentary section view taken along the line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring to the drawings wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several figures, a horizontally sliding door, generally indicated by the reference character 10 is, in accordance with the present invention, suspended from adjustable overhead supporting apparatus, generally indicated by the reference character 11, so as to be laterally shiftable along a rectilinear path from a position occupying a door opening to a concealed position occupying an accommodating pocket formed between the bounding partition surfaces of the partition in which the sliding door is supported.

The sliding door supporting apparatus 11 is provided at the opposite longitudinal edges thereof with stud plates 12 and 13 formed of sheet metal and provided preferably with substantially T-shaped walls 14 apertured for the reception of nails to secure the stud plates 12 and 13 to the vertical studs framing the door opening in the partition and integral walls 15 projecting perpendicular to the planes of the T-shaped walls 14 and extending toward each other. The walls 15 of the stud plate 12 are welded or otherwise fixed to one end of an upwardly opening U shaped track supporting channel '16 and the Walls 15 of the stud plate 13 are welded or suitably affixed to the opposite end of an elongated downwardly opening U-shaped header channel 17 which is arranged in parallelism and below the track supporting channel 16. The track supporting channel 16 and header channel 17 are afiixed together in back-to-back relation with the track supporting channel 16 overlying one end portion of the header channel 17 by means of screws 18 threaded into tapped openings in the bottom of the track supporting channel 16 and extending through longitudinal slots in the header channel 17 to provide limited relative longitudinal adjustment. This locates the track spacing bolts 19 adjacent the lateral margins of the door opening, as the length of the track supporting channel 16 corresponds substantially with the width of the door opening. These track spacing bolts 19 are provided with heads having enlarged bearing surfaces 20 and downwardly projecting slotted portions '21, the enlarged bearing surfaces 20 being designed to bear upon the upper surface of the base 22 of an elongated downwardly opening channel track 23 and the slotted head portion 21 of each spacing bolt 19 projecting through an accommodating aperture in the base 22 of the track channel 23 to expose the same for adjustment by means of a screw driver 'blade or the like. Track supporting bolts 24 are positioned adjacent each track spacing bolt 19 and disposed toward the recessed end of the overhead supporting apparatus 11. These track supporting bolts 24 likewise extend through slots in the header channel 17 and are threaded into tapped openings in the base of the track supporting channel 16. The base 22 of the track 23 is provided with bayonet slots 25 having enlarged portions 25a for v.33 therein interlocks these components together.

the accommodation of the heads 24a of the track supporting bolts 24 and smaller connecting portions 25b of a size to accommodate only the shanks of the track supporting bolts 24. The track .23, as more clearly illustrated in Figure 3, is a downwardly opening modified Ueshaped channel having parallel side walls ,26 depending from the base 22 and terminating at their ,lower extent in inwardly inclined runner flanges 27 terminating in spaced relation to each other.

The track 23 may be supported from the track supporting channel 16 in .a desired spaced relation therewith by extending the track 23 upwardly into the well formed by the header channel 17 to .aposition projecting the heads 24a of the track supporting bolts '24 through the enlarged portions 25a of the bayonet slots 25 and shifting the track 23 laterally to seat the shanks of the track supporting bolts 24 in the narrower portions 25b of the bayonet slots 25, and projecting a screw driver upwardly through the opening defined between the inclined runner flanges 27 to adjust both the track supporting bolts 24 .and track spacing bolts 19 to establish the desired spacing between the track and supporting channel .16.

The lengthof both the channel track 23 and the header channel 17 is substantially twice the width of the door opening to accommodate lateral shifting of the door from a .fully projected position occupying the door opening to a .fully recessed .position in a suitable partition pocket formed therefor. Housed within the track 23 area pair .of rollers 28 each having .a pair of truncated conical wheels 23 interconnected by an integral cylindrical transverse shaft 30. Trained over the shaft 30 of each roller 28 is a hanger hearing strap 31 of inverted U-shaped cross section having depending legs 32 provided with aligned apertures for the reception of .a hanger bearing pin .33.

The hanger bearing pin .33 is designed to be slidably received in a tubular formation 34 at the upper edge of an elongated hanger beam 35 having oppositely inclined lflanges 36 at the lower edge thereof and .an intervening web portion 37. The tubular upper edge portion 344115 the hanger beam .35 is provided with transverse slots to permit the lower ends .of the hanger bearing legs 32 to be projected therein a sufficient distance .to align the apertures therein with the hollow .of the tubular formation 34, whereby the introduction of the hanger bearing pin The door .10 at the upper edge thereof is rabbeted to receive an upwardly opening locking channel .38 having converging side walls adapted to slidably receive the outwardly inclined flanges 36 of the hanger beam 3.5 soas to suspend the door from the hanger beam. Retainer plates 39 are secured by screws .at the vupper lateral leading edge of the door It) overlying the ends of the channel 38 .and its accommodating ,rabbet to retain the hanger beam interlocked with the channel 38 duringlateralsliding .of the door 10. Indentations properly spaced in converging Walls of channel 38 near the opposite end from the retainer plate 39 prevent lateral movement of beam .35 in the opposite direction.

Stanchion members, generally indicated by the reference character 40, are to be substituted for the conventional vertical partition studs at one side of the door opening to permit formation of the pocket for reception .of the sliding door 10. These stanchion members 40 are formed of stanchion base plates 41 stamped .from sheet metal and comprise a bottom plate 42 adapted to be screwed or nailed to the sub-floor or finished floor, "bounded laterally by parallel side plates 43 spaced a proper distance apart to accommodate the thickness of the sliding door 10 therebetween. Indentations .44 are provided at the *junctures of the side plates 43 and base plates 42 to center the door 10 when the door is disengaged from the hanger beam 35 and prevent marring of the finish on the sides of the door. A pair of vertical stanchion plates 45 stamped from sheet metal to produce a substantially T-shaped cross section providing a parting strip 46 and coplanar projecting walls 47 are associated with each stanchion base plate 41. The stanchion plates 45 extend vertically in the position normally occopied by the vertical studs of a partition or wall, and are secured adjacent their lower ends by screws 48 or the like threaded into tapped apertures in the side plates 43 of the stanchion base plates 41.

The upper ends of the stanchion plates 45 are secured to and support the header channel 17 by means of bolts 49 threaded into stanchion nuts 50 threaded to receive the bolts .49 and having large round heads 51 extending through vertical slots in the sides of the header channel 17 and held therein by flanges 52 punched from the sides of the header channel and bent over the enlarged heads 51 of the stanchion nuts 56) to keep the nuts from falling out of their accommodating slots, while allowing the stanchion nuts to slide freely vertically in the sl ts to provide for height adjustment. Wood liners 53 made of soft wood are attached to the stanchion plates 45 along opposite sides of the parting strips 46 by :suitable securing means to provide nailing strips facilitating attachment of wall materials, split jambs :and the like to the partition housing the door accommodating pocket. Wood header strips 54 are likewise secured by any convenient means over the exposed surfaces of the header channel 17 for a like purpose.

The track spacing bolts 19 and track supporting bolts 24 provide an adjustment facility for raising and lower-- .ing the door and for leveling the track to facilitate placing the .door in plumb -.or precise parallelism with the door jambs when the door 10 occupies the door opening. A .track adjusting lever 55 formed of an elongated .downwardly opening channel member having .a base Y56 and side Walls 57 and positioned to accommodate the upper portion of the track23 between .the side walls 57 thereof ,is provided to permit the track 23 to be forced into a curve so that the .door maybe adjusted in parallelism with the jamb when the door is fully recessed within the pocket therefor. This adjusting lever channel 55 is provided with a slotted aperture 58 in the base Sdthereo'f to accommodate the track spacing bolts .19 and track supporting bolt 24 positioned intermediate the ends of the header channel 17. The adjusting lever channel 55 is fulcrumed intermediate its ends to the track 23 by means of a fulcrum shim 59 and a rivet 60 extending therethrough. Adjacent the .outer end of the lever channel 55 is a threaded nut 61 welded to the base 56 of the lever 55 in which a bolt 62 is threaded. The opposite end of the lever 55 is fixed to the base 22 of the track 23 by a rivet 63. The bolts 62 are provided with enlarged heads disposed below the base 22 of the track 23 and bearing against the undersurface thereof so that adjustment of the bolts 62 may impart an upwardly directed curvature to the portion of the track 23 disposed within the pocket adapted to house the door 10 sufiiciently 'to align the track along a proper axis to place the leading edge of the door 10 in precise parallelism with the door jamb when the door 10 is fully recessed within its accommodating pocket.

The various adjustments provided for :by the abovedescribed mechanism may be .made in the following manner.

Assuming the .door supporting assembly to be installed and assembled in a building partition or wall, the door 10 may be readily removed from the supporting assembly by sliding the door 10 into the accommodating pocket formed between the laterally aligned stanchion plates 45, removing the retainer plate 39 from the door 10 bymeans of a screw driver to expose the end of the channel 38, and sliding the hanger beam 35 out of the channel 38 to free the door 10 from the hanger beam 35. The door 10, if desired, may then be removed by sliding it laterally out of the door-accommodating pocket and withdrawing the same from the door opening without removing any stops, jambs, trim or other permanent structure, since no parts project beyond the edges of the door which would interfere with the ready withdrawal thereof from the door opening.

Access to the adjustment facilities of this apparatus can be achieved by shifting the hanger beam 35 and interconnected components along the track 23 into the pocket provided for reception of the door, whereupon the slots in the heads of the track spacing bolts 19 and track supporting bolts 24 and in the head of the outermost track adjusting bolt 62, are exposed for manipulation by a screw driver blade projected through the opening between the inclined runner flanges 27 of the track 23. Alternately, the entire hanger beam assembly may be removed by withdrawing the hanger bearing pin 33 from the bore of the tubular formation 34 of the hanger beam 35 which decouples the hanger beam 35 from the hanger bearing straps 31 permitting removal of the hanger beam and the bearing straps from the channel track 23.

Adjustment of the track 23 upon installation of the door can also be readily achieved prior to interfitting of the hanger beam flanges 36 within the channel 38. The assembled track 23 and adjusting lever channel 55 interconnected by rivets 60 and 63 and nut and bolt 61, 62 may be inserted into the well formed by the downwardly opening header channel 17 to project the heads 24a of the track supporting bolts 24 through the enlarged opening portion 25a ofthe bayonet slots 25 and then shifted laterally in the direction of the door-receiving pocket to seat the shanks of the bolts 24 within the narrow portions 25b of the slots 25 with the bounding portions of the slot 25 bearing downwardly upon the heads 24a of the bolts 24. The assembled track 23 and adjusting lever 55 may then be spaced the desired distance below the track supporting channel 16 to elevate the lower edge of the door slight- 1y off the floor or riser and leveled to plumb the edges of the door 10 with the door opening jambs. This may be accomplished with a carpenters level or the door may be successively suspended in and withdrawn from the track 23 by means of the uncoupling assembly provided by the hanger bearing pin 33, hanger beam tubular formation 34 and hanger bearing straps 31. When the bolts 19 and 24 are adjusted to properly establish the level and plumb of the door 10 with the door opening, the door is shifted into the door-accommodating pocket whereupon the adjusting screw 62 is exposed to be manipulated by a screw driver inserted between the flanges 27 of the track 23 to draw the adjacent end of the adjusting lever 55 toward the track 23 and thereby cant the remote end of the track 23 upwardly due to the interconnection of the lever 55 with the track formed by the rivet 63 and the fulcrum shim and fulcrum rivet 59, 60 to place the leading edge of the door 10 in plumb with the door jamb when the door is recessed in the pocket.

While but one particular embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described, it is apparent that other various modifications may be made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and it is desired, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art and are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Adjustable apparatus for supporting and guiding a door for lateral movement in the plane thereof comprising, an elongated track extending substantially twice the width of a doorway for supporting said door in suspended relation for sliding movement between a closed position relative to said doorway, and a recessed position within a laterally disposed wall pocket therefor, said track having a substantially horizontal wall, track supporting means fixably mounted above the doorway, means adjacent the opposite sides of said doorway extending between said supporting means and one end of said track and between said supporting means and an intermediate region of said track for suspending said track in selected spaced depending relation from said supporting means, and adjustable means for elevating the end of said track within said wall pocket about said intermediate region to impart curvature to the track disposing the door in plumb with said door way when the door is in recessed positon including a rigid elongated lever disposed above said track wall having an inner end adapted to be located within said wall pocket and an outer end to be disposed above said door way between the sides of said doorway, securing means fixedly connecting said inner end of said rigid lever to said track at a point within said wall pocket, spacing means extending between said rigid lever and said track wall forming a fulcrum axis for said rigid lever spaced above said track wall, and adjustable coupling means adjustably connecting said rigid lever with said track wall at a point spaced from said fulcrum and from said securing means having means exposed to manipulation from below said track and adjusting said coupling means to vary the spacing between said track wall and said rigid lever at said coupling means and thereby efiect rotation of said lever about said fulcrum axis to cause the inner end of said lever to deform said track out of a rectilinear horizontal axis.

2. Adjustable apparatus for supporting and guiding a door for lateral movement in the plane thereof comprising, an elongated downwardly opening channel-shaped track extending substantially twice the width of a door- .way forsupporting said door in suspended relation for sliding movement between a closed position relative to said doorway and a recessed position within a laterally disposed wall pocket therefor, track supporting means fixably mounted above the doorway, means adjacent the opposite sides of said doorway extending between said supporting means and one end of said track and between said supporting means and an intermediate region of said track for suspending said track in selected spaced depending relation from said supporting means, and adjustable means for elevating the remote end of said track within said wall pocket about said intermediate region to impart curvature to the track disposing the door in plumb with said doorway when the door is in recessed position including a downwardly opening, channel-shaped, elongated rigid lever having the web thereof overlying the web of said track and having an inner end of said lever disposed within said wall pocket and an outer end thereof overlying said doorway between the sides of said doorway, said channel-shaped lever having depending flanges for receiving said track in nested relation therebetween, means fixedly connecting the web of said lever at the inner end of said lever to said track web at a point within said wall pocket, fulcrum-forming means extending between the webs of said lever and said track intermediate the ends of said lever to form a fulcrum axis for said lever spaced above the web of said track, and a bolt adjustably connecting the outer end of said lever web with the web of said track including a slotted head exposed below the web of said track for manipulation from said doorway for effecting diverging and approaching relative movement between said outer end of said lever web and said track web and thereby apply force to the inner end of said lever to deform said track out of a rectilinear longitudinal axis and plumb the door with the doorway when the door is within said wall pocket.

3. Adjustable apparatus for supporting and guiding a door for lateral movement in the plane thereof comprising, a track for supporting the door in suspended relation for sliding movement into and out of closed position relative to a doorway, said track having a substantially horizontal wall and a plurality of spacing bolt openings and sup-porting bolt openings therethrough, a track supporting member fixably mounted above the doorway having a plurality of threaded opening means, means interconnecting said supporting member with said track for releasably sup porting said track from said supporting member and for adjustment of elevation and inclination of .said track to plumb the door with the doorway when the door is in closed position including depending track supporting bolts adjacent each side of the doorway having shanks threaded into said threaded opening means and extending through said supporting bolt openings in said track wall, said supporting bolt openings being constructed to accommodate a selected range of lateral displacement of said track along the plane of said track wall including laterally spaced first and second selected positions, said supporting bolts having enlarged heads depending below said shanks and bearing upwardly against said track wall to adjustably support said track in predetermined positions below said supporting member when said track occupies said first selected position, spacing bolts threaded into said threaded opening means adjacent each of said supporting bolts, said spacing bolts terminating in heads depending below said supporting member having downwardly facing bearing surfaces bearing downwardly .on said track wall for releasably holding said track wall intimately against said supporting bolt heads and slotted head portions .pro- 'jecting below said bearing surfaces and through said spacing bolt openings of said track wall when said track occupies said first selected position to expose said last mentioned slotted head portions to manipulation from below said track wall, said spacing bolt openings closely corresponding to the size of said slotted head portions of said spacing bolts whereby said spacing bolt head portions coact with said spacing bolt openings when seated therein to restrain the track against lateral displacement from said first position, and means for releasing said track wall from supported engagement with said supporting bolts upon lateral displacement of said track to said second position to permit removal of the track from said interconnecting means without disturbing the adjustment of said supporting bolts.

4. Adjustable apparatus for supporting and guiding a door for lateral movement in the plane thereof comprising, a track for supporting the door in suspended relation for sliding movement into and out of closed position relative to a doorway, said track having a substantially horizontal wall and a plurality of spacing bolt openings and supporting bolt slots therethrough, a track supportingchannel fixably mounted above the doorway having a plurality of threaded opening means, means interconnecting said channel with said track for releasably supporting said track from said channel and for adjustment of the elevation and inclination of said track to plumb the door with the doorway when the door is in'lclosed position including a pair of depending ibOl'tS adjacent each side of-the door.- way threaded into said threaded opening means of said supporting channel, one bolt of each pair forming a' track supporting bolt having a shank extending through one of said supporting bolt slots in said track wall and terminating in an enlarged slotted head providing a supporting shoulder bearing upwardly against said track 'wall to adjustably support said track in predetermined positions below said supporting channel, .and the other bolt of each pair forming a spacer :bolt terminating at its lower .end in a head :having a downwardly facing bearing flange 'for engaging the upper surface of ,said track wall to releasably hold said track wall intimately against said supporting shoulder provided by the slotted head of the associated supporting :holtand an integral reduced diameter slotted portion projecting through and corresponding closely to the diameter of said spacing bolt openings for holding said track against lateral displacement when said spacing bolt slotted portions are seated in their associated spacing bolt openings :and exposing said slotted portions to manipulation from below :S id tra k 3 lsaid p- ;porting bolt slots including a restricted portion for normally accommodating the shanks of Sai .SBPPQ bOIlS corresponding closely ,to the diameter of said shanks and Ya .connecting enlarged portion of sufficient diameter to accommodate passage of said supporting bolt head portion therethrough whereby said spacing bolt slotted portions may be withdrawn upwardly {from their associated spacing bolt openings upon-rotation of said spacing bolts and :said track displaced laterally to register said enla ged s pporting bolt slotted portions with said supporting bolt heads to permit withdrawal of thetrackdownwardlyfrom said interconnecting means without disturbing theladju stment of said supporting bolts.

References Cited in the file ofthis patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

